Confusion, Questions, and Quirky Comments
by pinkiepie0706
Summary: I am doing this story with kurlycrazykat This starts with chapter 2. For chapter one look at her story with this same title. It is about two OCs trying to handle a demigod lifestyle. Please review on both sides! Chapters get longer as the story progresses.
1. Chapter 2- Samantha

Chapter 2  
AN: hola amigos. This is pinkiepie0706 writing a story with kurlycrazykat. The first chapter is on her profile. I am sorry if this is confusing to you but we have confusing minds. Her story is called Journal Entries. Sorry if it is a little short I made it in the middle of the night.  
Disclaimer: we do not own any thing you might recognize. Samantha is mine. All other things are sadly not. :(

Samantha's POV  
I rarely just blindly follow Sarah's directions, especially because they almost alway get me in trouble. But I was too confused by what I had just seen to care. That creature looked like it came straight out of one of my mythology textbooks that I like to read. I am pretty sure based off descriptions in the book that it was a cyclops. But that makes no sense at all. I hate confusion. Order is ten times better. Also, I had never seen Sarah this serious. So... Yeah. You get it.

"So where are we going?" I ask her again.

"My summer camp" she sounded on edge. I didn't blame her though this taxi driver had terrible driving skills.

Since Sarah acted like she didn't want to talk anymore. I shifted my attention to the driver. WAIT! There are three drivers.

"Give me the eye!" I hear one scream.

Okay then. I think I am literally going insane. I look over at Sarah. She is staring out the window even though things are rushing past at what could be the speed of sound. Her always beautiful and perfect white blond hair is messy and her icy blue eyes are full of anxiety. After spending an entire school year in dorm with her I thought I could read her fairly well. Apparently I was wrong, I can tell that she is panicking but I don't know what for.

"Sarah, what in the heck is going on?"All the sudden I look up. Where in the heck am I?

"Come on, Sam. Follow me." I follow her up a hill. At the top of the hill is a pine tree with a piece of fleece that seems to be glowing with a golden color draped across it. And there is a small pile of cables laying beside it. Must power the decoration I decide and keep walking. Sarah stops a few feet past the tree and I almost run into her.

"You crossed through" she said with a look of joy and surprise on her face." Now you have to go see Chiron. He will want to see you soon I am sure."

"Who is Chiron?" I asked, this day just kept greeting weirder.

"The camp's activities director. You will love him. Now come on, slowpoke." Sarah laughed as she ran ahead of me. I am glad my friend is back. It is nice to at least have one thing stay the same on the midst of chaos. But I have this strange, odd feeling that my life will never be the same again.

AN: So there you have it. Samantha has made it inside the camp's boundaries. Love it? Hate it? Let me know in a review or I was sic Stacie on you. And believe me that chick is scary. And watch kurlycrazykat's page for an update with the next chapter.  
Adios!  
~pinkiepie


	2. Chapter 4- Samantha

**AN: Here is chapter four hope you like it. Read and Review please!**

**Disclaimer:****  
Me: Stacie!  
Stacie: *singing* You can't make me. La, la, la, la, la, la.  
Me: Don't make me go all Horus-like on you.  
Stacie: *whimpering* Ok, pinkiepie0706 and kurlycrazykat don't own PJO or anything else you recognize in this chapter. They only own the plot. And their OCs.  
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Why am I so tired? I open my eyes and see a girl with curly dark blond hair, with her back turned to me talking to a boy who looks about 16 or 17. He has messy jet black hair and his eyes look like the color of the sea. I can't hear what they are saying. And I am too tired to fund out. I close my eyes and fall asleep again.  
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When I wake up again I see Sarah sitting on the bed next to me.  
"It's about time you wake up, Sleeping Beauty," she teases me giggling.  
"How long was I out?" I ask her knowing it could not have been more than a couple of hours.  
"Oh, about two days," she sounds way too calm about this.  
"Two days! What the heck happened that I was out that long?"  
"We have no idea why. I am trying to figure that out myself." Another voice said. I turn around and there is a girl about 12 years old standing there. I realize that it is the girl that I saw when I first woke up. She has bright blue eyes and is wearing an orange t-shirt that says something in what looks like Greek. She seems like she is WAY too perky for my taste. "I'm Jen by the way. I was the one who was taking care of you."  
There is no way that a girl who has barely hit puberty could have been taking care of me. Though I do not point that out. It is probably a childish fantasy.  
"Why don't you drink this? I will be back in a bit." Jen says handing me a glass of... Is that apple juice? I have nothing against apples so I raise the straw to my lips and drink. Though I soon figure out that it is NOT apple juice. It tastes like Mom's gooey cinnamon rolls, frets out of the oven. All of the sudden I am feeling homesick. I haven't seen my parents since Christmas break. The school's semester isn't over for two more weeks so I know that they will not be worrying where I am. Yet.  
"What did it taste like?" Sarah asks longingly, snapping me out of my thoughts.  
"Oh, I'm sorry. I should have let you have a taste."  
"It's okay. I didn't need any. I was just curious."  
"Mom's homemade cinnamon rolls"  
"Cool, now I have to go. Be back in a min."  
"Okay, where..." I trail off because she is already leaving. Her hair flying behind her.  
I am bored so I pull out my iPod. I am severely dyslexic so I listen to audio books instead of reading. Currently I am listening to Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. After I have been listening for a while a boy about a year or two older than me. I study him out of the corner of my eye. He is tall and skinny, with short, curly, black hair and grey eyes that are almost exactly the same as mine. He is also wearing the same orange tee shirt as Jen, and a necklace like Sarah has.  
I try to pretend I don't see him. Until he pull out one of my ear buds. I reluctantly turn off the book. He must notice because he rolls his eyes. This kid is seriously annoying. Guess I will just have to give him a slight taste of his own medicine.

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**Love it? Hate it? Please review. We have not had a single review since we started this story! I like reviews!**

**Peace out,  
-pinkiepie**


	3. Chapter 6- Annabeth

**AN: I'M BACK! Aren't you lucky? Here is chapter SIX. Also, make sure you are reading the chapters that kurlycrazykat posts. Or you will be missing half of the story line. **

**Disclaimer: I (pinkiepie0706) and kurlycrazykat do not own PJO. **

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_Annabeth's POV_

"I'm here, Chiron!" I say as I walk into the camp director's office

"Good. I have a favor to ask you." Chiron replies. I inwardly groan. These favors are sometimes not so great.

"So, what part of the world need to be saved now?" I am trying to joke around, but I'm not entirely sure that it isn't true.

"Annabeth, dear, my favor is not that complicated this time. I just need you to show a new demigod around the camp."

I knew better than to try to get out of it. Who knew maybe this kid wouldn't be so bad. "Currently she is in the infirmary."

"Ok. I'll go do that then. See you later, Chiron!" I holler back while running out. I want to hurry and get there. I wonder if this is the girl that Percy told me he saw in the infirmary yesterday. I assume it is because there is no body else in there that I know of.

By the time I get there I have already decided that is who it is. I open the door slowly in case she is sleeping.

"Hi!" I nearly jump out of my skin by a new voice. I take a moment to study her appearance. She is kind of petite looking, with long curly black hair. But the thing that strikes me the most is her grey eyes. They aren't as story grey as most of my cabins, they seem brighter.

"Hi, I'm Annabeth."

"I'm Samantha. Nice to meet you Annabeth. Please tell me I am getting out of here, I am bored out of my mind."

I laugh. "Yep. As long as you feel up to it I am going to give you a tour of the camp. Jordan explained almost everything earlier, right?"

"Umm... What all was he supposed to explain? He did inform me that everyone here was supposedly the child of a Greek god."

That definitely sound like Jordan. Only hitting the basic fact. "Yep! Jordan and I are children of Athena. Jen, the girl who took care of you, is a daughter of Apollo."

"That makes sense Apollo is the god of healing. And Athena is the goddess of wisdom, right?"

"You got it! Ready to go?" Samantha nods, "Let's get this show on the road then." I guess this tour won't be so bad after all.

"And these are the cabins. Everyone is put into the cabin of their godly parent."

Samantha looks confused. "How do you know that I fit in here? I'm nothing special, I'm actually pretty normal."

"Well the fact that you crossed the border is a major hint. The only people who can make it through the border are demigods or gods. And I am almost 100% positive that you are not a goddess. Also, I am going to guess that you have been diagnosed with either ADHD or dyslexia."

She winces, I have a feeling she is picked on for that. "I have both. Is there something wrong with that?" she asks accusingly.

"No! Not at all. Almost all demigods have one or both. I have dyslexia, and my boyfriend has both. It is one of the signs that you could be a halfblood. We have dyslexia because our brains are hardwired for the Ancient Greek language, and the ADHD is our battle reflexes."

I go on to explain about the Hermes cabin where she will be staying until she is claimed. As well as the oath the Olympians made to Percy to claim their children by the time they are thirteen.

"So, who is Sarah's parent?" Samantha interrupts.

"Well, she has not been claimed yet. Even though she is fourteen now. Maybe her mom will claim her soon."

By the time the tour is over I have decided that Sam will make an awesome friend. She even understands my nerdiness. Then again she is a bit nerdy herself. And she asked intelligent questions, unlike some other people that I have shown around the camp (*cough* Percy *cough*). I walk back into my cabin, hoping to rest for a couple mins before dinner. No such luck. Percy is waiting at the door.

"Where did you disappear to all afternoon?" He asks jokingly.

I laugh. "Like I would tell you, Seaweed Brain. Actually I was showing the demigod Sarah found around the camp."

He sticks his tongue out at me. "I guess I will have to go welcome Piper back to camp on my own then."

"Oh my gods! I guess it is the end of the school year isn't it!? Come on, Percy!" And I rush off toward the Aphrodite cabin dragging Percy behind me.

**AN: Love it? Hate it? Let me know in a review.**

**Random PJO Triva:**

**Describe one of Annabeth's camp beads that Percy would not have. **

**Signing out,**

**-pinkiepie**


	4. Chapter 8- Samantha

**AN: This chapter is 1,364 words WITHOUT the author's note. Yay! So read, review and recycle!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own PJO or HoO or anything you recognize!**

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Samantha's POV

I have decided that I do not know how long I can stay in the Hermes cabin without killing half of the cabin

"Line up!" Travis calls

"Where are we going?" I ask Chris Rodriguez, one of the few people in here who don't drive me completely insane.

"The camp bonfire. It is mostly a sing-a-long session led by the Apollo kids. Though a ton of people are claimed at the bonfire." He explains. "Maybe your parent will claim you there."

I give him a half smile. Not really meaning it. Neither one of my birth parents have shown up in all of my fourteen years. Why would they claim me now? Either way I find my place at the end of the line and head toward the fire. When we get there everybody disperses leaving me wondering what I am supposed to do. I see Annabeth over in a corner of the amphitheater talking to a girl with incredibly curly red hair and bright green eyes. I decide I should probably not interrupt so I take a look around. The amphitheater is beautiful, with white marble pillars and arches on either side. There are rows of benches and one lone three-legged chair shoved in the front corner.

My mind is starting to wander, when Annabeth's voice interrupts my thoughts. "Hi, Samantha! I thought I would introduce you to a couple friends of mine." She is standing with the girl from earlier and another girl who looks a couple years older than me, with choppy chocolate hair, her eye color is undeterminable but are shining and beautiful

"I'm Piper," second girl begins, "and the dork with red hair is Rachel."

"Do I not get included Beauty Queen?" A guy's voice comes from behind Piper.

She turns and laughs. "Maybe if you had stayed out of the fire for a few minutes I would have."

I look over see who she is talking to. He looks my age or maybe a year older. He is about my height (and I am quite tiny) with our of control dark curly hair and brown eyes. He looks over at me and we lock eyes for a second. "I'm Leo Valdez, supreme commander of the Argo II, and son of Hephaestus."

"Leo, will you ever drop that title?" Piper admonishes him

"Nope!" He grins, and I can't help but smile myself. "Who might you be?" He says turning to face me

"Samantha Jones, supreme commander of nothing, godly parent yet to be determined." I tell him playfully

Piper smiles slightly, "I think I will go talk to... Mitchell. See ya!

"So, guess you just got here then?" Leo says breaking the ice

"Yeah, kinda." He raises an eyebrow. "I got here a few days ago but have been in the infirmary. I passed out almost right after I got here.

"Well then. If it means anything, welcome to Camp Half-blood."

"Thanks. I..." I trail off when a horn blew, warning everyone to sit down.  
Leo went ahead and sat down in the front row a seat away from Annabeth. I had no idea what to do, so I followed suit, taking the seat between them.

The bonfire was definitely interesting. Seeing Sarah in make-up and a dress was strange. It NEVER happens. I mean ever. I tried at homecoming this year but she refused and went in her jeans and black lace top. The funniest part though was seeing Jordan's face. His jaw dropped the minute he saw her.

I was not quite sure what had happened. So when Sarah came back into the cabin (apparently she had lived in here all along) I asked her. "I was claimed." She replied with no enthusiasm in her voice.

"By Aphrodite I am going to guess." It made sense because I knew the dove was Aphrodite's symbol. And afterwards Piper (who I figured out was the counselor of that cabin) was talking to Sarah

"Yeah, luck me right?" She sounds very annoyed. "Piper is the only one in there who is not a girly girl. And I am stuck looking like this! (She was still wearing the outfit that she was changed into at the bonfire) Ugh! Look I would love to stay here so we can chat, but if I don't get to my cabin soon the harpies will be out. And I would prefer not to be their dinner." She laughs lightly.

"'Night Sarah!" I call to her as she runs out the door. As I decide to settle into bed I hide my cell phone and cash in my pillowcase so it won't get stolen overnight. And try to fall asleep, though it is not working too well. I finally give up and decide to head out of the cabin to get some fresh air.

"Going somewhere?" Chris asks making me jump.

"I'm just heading out to get some fresh air and clear my head." It is not a lie. My mind is going a hundred miles a minute, like always.

"Take this" he hands me a small dagger, "just in case. But I want it back later."

I nod and head out the door of the cabin. The camp looks even more amazing in the moonlight. I decide to head towards the beach. When I get there I sit on the hill leading down to the ocean. One thing is for sure, this place is a million times quieter at night. I sit there for a couple minutes watching the waves break and hit the beach.

"Pretty sweet view right?" I just about skewer Leo when I flip around, surprised. "Though I would prefer to be in one piece to see it, please."

I laugh quietly. "Sorry, I didn't realize anyone was out here. I assumed you were some sort of monster sneaking up on me."

"Probably a logical guess the majority of the time. Though the monsters here stay in the woods. Now, may I ask what you are doing out here this late?"

"Nah." Leo raises an eyebrow in confusion. "You may not ask, because I was supposed to ask first."

Now it is his turn to laugh. "And why is that?"

"Because. I. Am. Awesomer."

"How can you say that when you barely know me? How do you know that I am not the awesomest?"

We both burst out in quiet laughter. "What are you doing out here though? Normally no one else is out here this late." He questions.

"I couldn't sleep and I needed to think." I dot know why I was telling him this. It was really none of his business.

"What were you thinking about?"

"Just everything that has gone on lately. From the cyclops attack at the school to learning that I apparently have some Greek god as my birth parent. One who for fourteen years has had nothing to so with me. And somehow we are supposed to get over that fact."

Leo is quiet for a minute, then says, "I can't explain it to you entirely. But I can tell you that I planned on chewing the dad out for being a deadbeat the first time I saw him. But somehow I just couldn't. I realized that he had been watching me. Caring about things as minuscule as my science projects. The gods aren't allowed to have much contact with their kids."  
The protest in the mind dies down a bit. Has my mom or dad been watching me? It is difficult to think about.

"If you don't mind me asking is your mom or dad your godly parent?"

"I don't know. I was adopted when I was only about a month old. I have always wondered about my birth parents though."

"Wow. I'm sorry. Well hopefully soon you can know who one of them is."

I smile, "Hopefully. Hey, I really should head back to my cabin. But thank you for keeping me company."

"Anytime Samantha!" He calls as I head back. I smile.

When I get back to the cabin everyone is asleep, thankfully. I lay the dagger on Chris' trunk and lay down. Within two minutes I am fast asleep.

**Love it? Hate it? Please let me know in a review. Hint: more reviews = happy author = faster update**


	5. Chapter 10- Samantha

**AN: I am sooooo sorry this took so long! I have a life outside of FanFiction. Also, kurlykrazykat was at church camp. II ha to wait on her to get back today. Well you probably aren't even reading this anyway. Sooooo... On to the story. **

**Disclaimer:**

**If I owned PJO or HoO, Percabeth would have been together way before they were. **

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Samantha's POV

Let's start by saying that having a bucket of ice water dumped on you. Is not the best way to start your day. Unfortunately that is how mine started.  
"Get up or we are going to be late for breakfast!" Travis Stoll hollers. I sit up in my bed.  
"First, I am right here you don't have to yell. Second, you just dumped an entire stinking bucket of water on me. I should so get you for that. And third, I am not the only one still asleep." I point to the 3 kids who are still snoozing away in their beds.  
"Fine." Travis says. "But you still have to get up."  
So I grudgingly pull myself out of bed. Normally I am a morning person. But I am groggy this morning.  
"Earth to new girl!" I hear a voice saying snapping me out of my fog. I am pretty sure I am the newest girl here so I turn around. I turn around to see Connor Stoll standing behind me holding a grocery bag. He hands the bag to me. "Here you go new girl. Some camp clothes, since it will be kind of hard to do our activities in that outfit. Even if you do look good in it." I look down at what I am wearing. It is one of Sarah's black, white and lime green tee shirts, and a lime green skirt that comes just above my knees over black capri length leggings. (Needless to say, I let Sarah choose my outfit.) I see nothing wrong except for a couple small tears in the skirt and leggings.  
I yank the bag out of his hands. "I have a name by the way. That is something you should probably know before you try to flirt with me." Connor just turns around and walks away. Coward. Then again Sarah has said that I am kind of scary when I am really annoyed. Which currently I am. Who does he think he is?  
I decide to at least look and see what is in the bag. It is just a pair of jean shorts, an orange tee shirt that says CHB and has a Pegasus on it, and a pair of running shoes. I decide it looks comfier than my current outfit so I slip into the bathroom and change. Everything thankfully fits. When I get out everybody is lining up for breakfast. One of the girls motions for me to come join them. I am thankful for that.

After breakfast we have certain cabin activities. The only highlight of breakfast was getting to talk to Sarah, even if only for a minute. I am really bored without someone to talk to at anytime. Sarah and I used to stay up 'till one o'clock or later some nights in our dorm room talking.  
Our first activity is sword practice with the Athena and Poseidon cabins. Only problem is I have no weapon. So Annabeth tells a 16 or 17 year old boy to show me to the weapons shed. He looks familiar, though I cannot tell why. Maybe he went to the same school as me at one point. I find out that his name is Percy Jackson. He is the only child of Poseidon, and Annabeth's boyfriend. Within two minutes we are in the weapons shed.  
I step in and immediately something catches my eye. It is a foot long bronze dagger with a wooden handle, in a leather and bronze sheath. I pick it up. It is beautiful as far as I am concerned. I unsheathed the blade. It gleams brightly as if it was just polished, and fits perfectly in my hand.  
"I want this one." I tell Percy without hinderance.  
"Are you sure?" Percy asks me hesitantly. "Short range weapons aren't usually the best choice for beginners."  
I think about it for a minute. "No. This is my weapon. Nothing you can say will change my mind. Does it have a name?"  
Percy sighs and looks over to where I picked it up. "I think it is called Η κόρη της σοφίας..." Percy looks confused as he trails off.  
"Daughter of wisdom." I say, though I have no idea how I knew how to translate that. I think it was Greek.  
"Yeah." Percy replies still looking a bit confused. It is just then that I realize where I think I know him from.  
"Percy, did you go to Yancy Academy about 5 years ago?" I ask him.  
"Yeah, in 6th grade. Why?"  
"I think I know you from there. You were one of the kids who was sent to the principals office a lot. Like me. We met there. You had just called your teacher an old sot, and I had told my teacher that she was stupid and shouldn't be teaching if she didn't know the information."  
"Wait a minute. You were that little girl that sat beside me? The one who was pestering me with questions? There is no way... Ok well maybe. You haven't changed much from then. Now we need to get back to the lesson before Annabeth gets mad." Percy kind of looks annoyed now but I follow him back to the arena. We got there just in time for the lesson to start. I then watched as Annabeth and Percy sparred. They were really good. After about 15 mins of strikes, blocks, and parries, Annabeth finally managed to disarm Percy. A loud cheer went up from a group of blondes who I am guessing were her siblings. "Now we are going to partner you guys off to work on the techniques we just showed you." Annabeth and Percy went around assigning partners. I was put with Jordan, who apparently was a child of Athena. Though he didn't have the same blond hair as his siblings, he did have the almost the same eyes. His were just a bit lighter, almost _exactly_ the same as mine.  
"Are you ready? Or are you going to stand there staring at me?"  
"Oh! I'm so sorry! I wasn't staring at you. I was just thinking." I rush out in a blur. I can't believe he thought I was stating at him. I feel so embarrassed now. "Let's just work on this."  
I unsheathe my dagger and Jordan stares at it. "Where did you find that?" He asks, seeming to recognize it.  
"The weapons shed. Now can we start like everyone else."  
"Fine."  
We keep at it for a few mins before Jordan pulls ahead and then disarms me. We keep at it for the rest of the class, but every time Jordan ends up disarming me first. Though I can now hold him off for about 8 or 9 minutes.  
"I am not doing bad. If I do say so myself." I tell Jordan after this last time.  
"No you aren't." Annabeth says from behind me. "You are already doing better after one class than some kids do after one year at camp. I bet within a couple classes you will be able to beat Jordan's butt."  
I don't know why but all of the sudden I blurt out, "One more try, right now, and I bet I can do it." I start to question myself the moment that leaves my mouth. Do I really think I can beat him? I think he has been going to this camp for years. Also, isn't Athena the goddess of battle strategy? Wouldn't that make him a pretty good fighter.  
These questions are still swirling through my mind when Jordan says, "Sounds like a challenge. You have a deal." I suddenly am aware that everyone else has stopped fighting and the Hermes cabin is waiting on me. Perfect.  
"Actually I think Travis is ready for us to head to our next activity." I say, trying to get myself out of the corner I have backed into.  
"Nope. This is our free period. We have nothing to do except to stay here and watch you fight Jordan." Travis says trying and failing to hold back a laugh.  
"Looks like you are fighting me then. No backing out." Jordan says.  
I guess I am stuck now. I don't even know what got into me. Normally Sarah is the one who says things rashly. I normally evaluate the situation and make sure that in think I can live up to my claims. I am not sure I can love up to this one. But I guess I have to try.  
"You ready?" Jordan taunts me. Have I mentioned yet that he is ultra annoying? Well he is.  
"Sure. I guess I kinda have to be."  
"Ready, Set, Go!" Travis hollers and we start to fight.  
I block two of Jordan's attempts to disarm me. Then I remember Annabeth's hint from earlier in the lesson. 'If you have the shorter weapon, move in closer.' My dagger is shorter that Jordan's sword so I take the advice. I strike his sword to disarm him and see it fly across the arena. Then I put the tip of my dagger on his chest and say one simple word. "Dead."  
The Hermes cabin started cheering loudly. I had done it. "Great job!" Annabeth said from beside me. "You managed to do that in less than two mins."  
"Really?! Honestly I didn't think I could do it."  
"It was kinda funny to watch you whip his butt. He doesn't get beat by too many people."  
"Why? He doesn't defend himself much, just goes into offensive mode. All you have to do would be to defend yourself while he wears himself out then attack when he is too exhausted to defend himself."  
Annabeth looks at me with a look of curiosity. "Who told you that? I know I didn't teach that in this lesson."  
"I guess I just used logic. I have used that principle in a lot of sports at my previous schools."  
"That's cool. Most people don't use logic. They just jump right in. Like Sarah Brown, the girl who was just claimed."  
"Yeah. I know who she is. She was the one who brought me to camp. Her and I were the only two new students at our school this year and dorm mates. And you are right, she never thinks before she does things which gets her into trouble. A Lot."  
Annabeth's laughter is mixed with the sound of a conch horn. It is officially lunch time. Wow. It doesn't feel like three hours have passed. I guess that is what ADHD and an awesome sword practice do to you.  
"Samantha!" Travis hollers at me from across the room. "Come on! We are already late for lunch!" I start to sheath my dagger. "You have thirty seconds or we are leaving you on your own."  
I walk over and tap him on the shoulder.  
"Come on, grumpy bear. You can go stuff your face now." An with that I run off to the dining pavilion, my long black tresses flying behind me.

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**AN: Yay! 1,844 words in this chapter! My highest word count yet! What do you think? Let me know in a review! They make authors happy. I want to hear your thoughts. **

**Random questions for this chapter (this is what you can put in your review too):**

**1.) Jasper OR Jeyna? _I personally like Jasper_.**

**2.) Who would you rather see Sadie with: Walt OR Anubis? _I would much prefer Walt. But my friends all like Anubis. _**

**3.) Vanilla OR Chocolate?_ I am a HUGE chocolate person. _**

**4.) Should we keep writing in Samantha and Sarah's POV or should we change POVs? If we should change, is there a certain POV you want to see?**

**Signing out,**

**~pinkiepie**


	6. Chapter 12- Samantha

**AN: I want to give a shout out to the only reviewers so far. So well done:**

** Smileyface9**

** Wordsandpages**

**Marshapono**

**There are a couple guest reviews too bit I can't give you a shout out unless you at least change the word Guest to something else. Anyways, if you are going to follow or favorite a story would it kill you to leave a review. Just a simple good job or great chapter would be appreciated. Now on to the story!**

**Disclaimer:**

**3 Reasons I can't own PJO:**

**1.) I'm a girl. **

**2.) I am a teenager.**

**3.) I don't live in Texas. **

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Samantha's POV

After lunch, we have some free time. I head back to the cabin and grab my iPod, hoping I can find someplace quiet to "read". I try a bunch of places in the camp but I can't concentrate on the words of my book. So I give up and decide to go explore. I realize that I have never been in the woods so I start to head that direction.  
I then remember that Annabeth told me on my tour of the camp that they keep the woods stocked with monsters for training. So I make sure I have my dagger and head in anyways.

After walking through the woods for about thirty minutes, I sit down under a tree and turn on my iPod. After I have listened to a couple chapters of my book, I turn it off and get ready to head back. It is then that I notice a girl staring at me. She is petite and her skin has a greenish tone. When she realizes that I see her she giggles and ducks behind a tree. I peek around that tree but she is not there. Next thing I know she is emerging from the tree. She giggles again.  
"Hi, I am Samantha. Who are you?"  
The girl just looks at me for a minute stunned, then she disappears back into the tree. She must be a wood nymph, that would make sense based on what I have read about Greek mythology. I have to admit it. I am a history buff. I especially love ancient cultures, from the earliest civilizations to Egypt, to Greece, to Rome.  
All of the sudden I hear a tree branch cracking behind me. I reach down and grab my dagger before flipping around to face whatever monster is hungry. There is no monster though. It was only Leo. Though I wonder what he was doing even farther into the woods than this.  
"Do you really want to hurt me that much. I am pretty sure that every time two out of the three times I have seen you, you have pointed a dagger at me." Leo says chuckling.  
"Maybe you have just deserved it." I taunt him.  
"So are you ready for capture the flag tonight?" Leo asks, changing the topic.  
"Not really. I am not quite sure how to play." I say quietly. You see I hate not knowing things. Leo hears me though and explains the game to me.  
"What team will I be on?" I ask.  
"Well since you are currently part of the Hermes cabin you will be on my team tonight. It is the Poseidon, Athena, Hermes, Hephaestus, Apollo and Aphrodite cabins together tonight. Although Piper and Sarah are really the only two from cabin 10 who will participate. Hey, I have to head back to the bunker now to work on a gadget for that. I will see you around, Samantha."  
"Bye, Leo!" I call after him. It is then I notice something on the ground. When I reach down I notice that it is a remote of some sort that Leo was working when he came over here. After deciding that I will give it back to him later I shove it in my jeans pocket, and head back towards the camp for Pegasus riding lessons. This should be interesting.

* * *

I. Can't. Ride. A. Pegasus. I am pretty sure that mine hated me. He bucked me off FOUR times before I gave up with bruises all over. Butch tried to reassure me that it was not unusual to fall off on your first lesson, but I am pretty sure that he was lying to make me feel better. Butch was a son of Iris, though except for the rainbow tattoo he looked more like the Ares kids.  
After the lesson we headed to dinner. We had a barbecue that night. I ate with the Hermes cabin as usual but this time I didn't feel like I was the outcast of the group. I felt accepted, like I belonged here. That was a feeling that I hadn't had in a while. I have never really felt like I belonged anywhere. Not since my parents told me I was adopted when I was 7. That was the day they brought the twins home. I asked that day about when they brought me home from the hospital and they had to explain it to me. I was kind of mad at them. I also wanted to resent my siblings but it was too hard. They were, and still are, so darn cute. Stasi (short for Anastasia) and Andy (Andrew) are seven now and in the second grade. I haven't seen any of them since the Christmas break and I kinda miss them.  
After dinner we all gear up for capture the flag. Annabeth helps me find a set of armor that fits and shows me how to strap it on. We place our flag on Zeus' fist, and then gather up to discuss planning. Annabeth is apparently the one who devises the battle strategies. "Leo, you, Samantha, and Jordan will head towards the center to create a distraction. Then Percy and I will head around the left side and grab the flag." She says.  
"Wait a minute." I interject. "From what I can tell, everyone sees you and Percy as the best fighters here. So they would most likely ignore us to find you. Wouldn't it make more sense to someone who they don't see as a threat to get the flag."  
Annabeth looked kind of annoyed but he just sighed and nodded. "I guess you do have a point." She said. "You and Leo can go ahead an get the flag. Percy, Jordan and I will create a distraction. Leo you know the sign on when to go. Hermes cabin, you guys are border guards. My cabin is the flag guard. Apollo, you guys will help where you are needed on defense. Hephaestus cabin is jail keepers. Piper and Sarah, you guys will be backup for the offensive side. Everyone to your places!"  
It is apparent at that moment that Annabeth is the leader if this team. Everyone immediately scampers to where she assigned them without an argument. No wonder she was annoyed when I challenged her judgement.  
I draw my dagger and place my helmet on my head. All that is left to do is wait for our signal. Leo leans over and says quietly, "The Ares cabin is leading the other team so be careful. Try to stick with me, and avoid Clarisse's spear."  
"Okay. Now when do we go?" I have to admit. I sometimes let my ADHD get the better of me. I hear a conch horn blow in the distance. "Now?" I ask Leo.  
"Now." He confirms, and we take off running.  
When we make it to the creek, Leo is ahead of me by a tiny bit. All of the sudden he stops and puts his arm out to stop me right before I step in. I look down into the water and see why he stopped. That portion of the creek was filled with robotic eels that were sparking with electricity.  
"We have to find another route around to their flag. Preferably quickly so they are still distracted." Leo says in a hoarse whisper.  
I look around and notice that I recognize this area. I was here earlier today when I was exploring. "Follow me." I tell Leo quietly. He looks a bit skeptical but follows me anyway. We run over to a natural bridge about a quarter mile down from where we were.  
Within a couple mins we can see the flag. No way it is this easy. I hear some fighting in the distance. Hopefully that means the distraction is working. We get ready to rush to the flag by some unspoken agreement, but 4 guards jump out and block our path. I suddenly am aware of the fact that I am not very well prepared. I have no shield and almost no training.  
"Watch out!" Leo calls right as a spear connects with my side. I feel a jolt of electric surge through my body throwing me off balance. That girl must be Clarisse. I manage to regain my balance and see that Leo is being surrounded. I jump in and hit one of the boys on the head with the flat of my blade. Clarisse sees me and immediately steps away from Leo and glares at me. Great. I have already made an enemy. She strikes at my side again but this time is anticipate her strike. I parried and took my own strike. She manages to block me. She strikes again with less force at my chest. I see where she is heading though and manage to disarm her. Throwing her spear a good 20 feet away. Unfortunately she has backup weapons. She pull out a dagger about the same length as mine and we start fighting again. I dare to glance to see how Leo is faring and end up with a huge gash on my left arm. I go after her but I can tell I am wearing out. We are sparring for a number of mins when all of sudden she is struck from behind making her flip around to face Leo. He has already taken out the other two with his hammer. I pick up a large branch from the ground and launch it in her vicinity without taking time to aim. When I turn around I see Leo standing there with his hammer.  
"Nice shot!" He calls. "Now go grab that flag! I will stay here in case anyone wakes up." As if on cue the first boy I knocked out starts to gain conscience. I look over to Leo, his eyes are telling me to go. He can take care of this one. I, not wanting to wait around any longer climb the tree and grab the flag. When I fall off of the limb I was standing on, I see Leo sparring with the boy and want to go and help him out. I realize that this is my chance though. I take off running at full speed the way I came. The only thing I encounter is a monster, that must have been weak because I killed it with one strike. I am about 30 feet from the boundary when I see the other team coming over with our flag. My competitive nature makes me driven to beat them and I take off at a sprint.  
When I cross the boundary I hear cheering. I can tell which side it is from though. I take a look at myself. I am covered in mud and dirt from how many times I tripped and possibly from my fall off the tree. My arm is caked in blood. I have a lot more small cuts and bruises. Over all, I look like I feel. Horrible.  
All of the sudden the cheering stops and everyone falls eerily silent. I look up and see a woman standing in front of me. She is tall and has long black hair and bright stormy grey eyes. She looks like a taller more regal version of me. The woman is smiling softly at me, but she has this aura of power around her. I notice that all the demigods are bowing to her. So I followed suit. The demigods closest to her were the Athena campers. It must be her. But what does she want with me. I'm not as smart as her children. I don't have the same blond hair, and my eyes aren't as stormy.  
"Rise, my child. Stand here in front of me so I can see you." She says. There is no way she is talking to me though. I cannot possibly her child. "You are Samantha. You are most definitely my child."  
I slowly stand up. This is the woman who gave birth to me. The one who has made no contact in the last fourteen years. "Athena." I acknowledge her. I don't think I am ready to start calling her Mom. "Why claim me now? And why in this way? Why not just send a sign like all the other parents?"  
"You will find out soon, my dear." She says gently. I look around to see what everyone else is thinking of our conversation. Everyone seems to be frozen though. "I can't stay much longer Samantha. I just want you to know that I love you." With this she disappear into thin air, and everyone unfreezes. The flag is now glistening grey and has a painting of an own above an olive tree on it instead of looking like the one for the Ares cabin.  
I look down into the creek and see my reflection. All my cuts and bruises are gone., my waist length black hair is clean and has been braided to the side. My outfit has been changed too. Instead of camp clothes, I am wearing a grey cotton dress, with a sequined neckline and straps. It comes just above my knees, and is over top of white capri-length leggings. I also have my necklace that I left at the school. It is the only thing I had from my birth parents. It is a black stone hanging on a leather chord. Om one side is an engraved "S" inlaid with bronze. on the other side of the stone has been engraved an owl also inlaid in bronze. It makes sense now, the owl is Athena's symbol. Why did I not think of that before. I see in the water Annabeth coming over and places her hand on my shoulder. "Welcome to the family." She says with a smile. I guess I really do belong.

* * *

**AN: So what do you think? I really want to know. I am heading to church camp tomorrow but kurlykrazykat will still post her next chapter when it is done. I can promise you that my next chapter will not be posted until at least next Sunday. Most likely later though. Well you all should send me reviews while I am gone.**

**Signing out,**

**-pinkiepie**


	7. Chapter 14- Samantha

**AN: OK, so I realize that got oil way too long to update this. if anyone is still reading it that Is. Maybe I just need more reviews to motivate mE. so go ahead and read this them stinking REVIEW!**

**_Disclaimer_:**

** I own nothing that you recognize in any part of this storY. Sadly. :(**

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Samantha's POV

After capture the flag, I carried the couple if things I had out of the Hermes Cabin and into Athena's cabin. When I came in it was just the Stolls and Chris in there plotting to prank the Aphrodite kids.  
"So the brains of this cabin is leaving huh?" Conner calls over.  
"I guess. I will miss hanging with you guys a tiny bit. Though I am just incredibly glad that my mom finally claimed me." I said quietly and started to pack my stuff that I had in my school bag back in there.  
"I know how you feel about being glad." Chris says, "I was unclaimed in my own cabin for a couple years. It was for that reason that I joined the Titan army. My dad claimed me after that but I understand that you feel relived that Athena claimed you."  
"Thanks Chris." I say. I then throw my book bag over my shoulder and head out the door. When I reach the Athena cabin I choose one of the empty bunks right beside Annabeth and fall asleep.

When I wake up in the morning, Annabeth's bed is empty but everyone else is still asleep. I take a glance around the room since I was too tired last night. The cabin is painted in a really pretty light grey color. There are a million bookshelves on one side like a library. They are filled with a bunch of old books and scrolls. There are a bunch of places to sit and read.  
On the other side of the room is a workshop. The wall over there are filled with blueprints of various types. There are lots of work tables with scrap parts lying around. There are a bunch of blueprints thrown into the trash, and 3D models of buildings on some of the tables.  
In between the two areas are the bunk beds. They are all shoved against the walls with wooden trunks at the feet. The trunks have names carved into them and look like they have been decorated by the named person. The empty spaces between the beds display different armor sets and old war maps. I look to the bottom of my bunk. There are two trunks there. One of them has the name Jordan carved into it. I look to the other end of the opposing bunk. Yep. It is him. The guy who I met on my first day at camp and Sarah's crush. No, she hasn't pointed him out to me. Though back at school she talked about him a lot and she doesn't exactly keep it hidden. The other chest has my name engaged into it but is plain other than that. I might decorate it later. I open the trunk and realize that is where my stuff went last night. Someone must have put it there for me. There is also some clean clothing that is in my size.  
I reach into my backpack and pull out a few pictures that I keep in there. I also grab some tape to put them on the wall like all the other kids. The first picture I put up was of me and my siblings. We took it this past Christmas when I was home. I am sitting cross-legged on the snowy ground at Central Park, Stasi and Andy are siting on my knees and Bella, my three year old sister, is sitting on my lap between them. We are all laughing at something my Dad said. I smile to myself as I post that picture on the wall. The next picture is of me and my parents. The photo was taken by Stasi, who is only seven, so it is a little crooked but still captures us perfectly. That girl is a natural with a camera. The third picture that I hang on the wall is one from a little further back. It is me and my childhood friend Juniper. I was about seven in the picture, and I looked like a total dork. After that i post a picture that Sarah and I got taken at the school dance this year. We were acting like complete goons who had no care in the world. The last picture I post is the oldest. It is a picture of me and my parents when they adopted me. I am only a month old so unless you know that is me, no one would be able to tell.  
Right as I am posting the last picture on the wall Annabeth comes in. She come over and sits on her bed. "Good morning Samantha. You are an early bird I see." She whispers.  
"I guess I could say the same thing about you." I whisper back.  
"I kinda have to be if I want any time to myself around here. I see you found where I put your stuff. Feel free to decorate your trunk however you would like. It is magical so when you get tired of it you can just design right over top of the old design and it won't matter. The old design just kind of disappears. Now if I were you I would hit the showers now before the rush if you want hot water."  
"Ok. I think I will do that. Thanks, Annabeth."

After my shower we head to breakfast, then to Greek Lessons. I actually did well at those, apparently it is because I am dyslexic. We were there about an hour and a half before we moved on to chores. My chore of the day was picking strawberries. Which isn't that bad, except for the fact that Jordan was my partner. He would not utter two words to me the entire hour. So I eventually just gave up and turned on my book. The hour passed by fairly quickly. Though I did notice that Jordan kept looking curiously at my necklace that I had kept on.  
By the time lunch rolled around I was starving. After lunch we had an hour of free time. I headed back to the cabin to check out the library. There was already a couple people in there by the time I got back. I went over to the bookshelves and pulled out a scroll on different mythologies, that was written in Ancient Greek. I took it over to one of the tables and started to read.  
I found it quite interesting and time flew by. It is amazing how with ADHD a forty minute class (that is not interesting) can feel like a three hour long lecture. While one hour of reading an ancient scroll can feel like only a couple minutes. With reluctance I rolled it back up and laid the scroll on my bunk to read later, and walked out to find Sarah. Don't get me wrong. My half-siblings were nice, and I got along with them for the most part. I needed to talk to Sarah though, she knew me a LOT better than anyone else here.  
When I found her she was with Jordan Meriweather. "There you are!" I say taking Sarah's hand. "I've been looking for you, let's go, we need to talk, we haven't for so long." When Jordan saw me he rolled his eyes as if with disgust. I don't know what he has against me, I don't think I have done anything to him.  
"I-uh...Okay, I'm coming, just wait a sec." Sarah says and then shoves a hat down in Jordan's head. Still staring at him she says, "Don't forget to wear your hat."  
"I won't Princess." Jordan says lightly. Sarah rolls her eyes and laughs. I just look back and forth between the two of them. First off I am positive now that she likes him but won't admit it to anyone. They are really close to each other and I raise an eyebrow. All of the sudden Jordan takes a step toward me, stating at my necklace.  
"Have you ever seen that necklace before you were claimed?" He asks.  
I don't answer the question, not to be rude but I don't want to explain right now. I drag Sarah toward the Athena cabin hoping to talk in there.  
There is no one left in there when we enter. Sarah walks straight over to Jordan's bed and sits down. I walk over and sit next to her on my bunk and we start talking, laughing, and being a bit stupid.

When dinner rolls around I am starving. I eat with the Athena cabin yet again. The only seat left when I sit down is right next to Jordan. When I sit down I notice that he kept looking at my necklace curiously.  
"What are you doing?" I finally ask him.  
"Sorry, it's just that you necklace looks familiar for some reason. Did you own that before Mom claimed you?"  
I decide that I might as well tell the truth. No sense in keeping secrets from these people, they ARE my siblings. "Yes, this was the only thing that I had from my birth parents. I was adopted when I was only a month old."  
"Oh, ok." He says, almost sounding disappointed but I don't know why. I am sure there are more necklaces out there like mine. He doesn't bring it up again, but he still keeps glancing at it occasionally.  
After dinner we head to the bonfire. It is a sing-a-long led by the Apollo cabin. We sing a song about grandma getting dressed for war. Making motions for all the different pieces of armor. It was quite fun. The fire is changing color as the energy level in the amphitheater rises. After a few more songs Chiron walked to the front of the room. As soon as he stood up there everyone fell silent.  
"As you all know, capture the flag last night was won by Samantha Jones," as soon as he said my name all eyes fixed on me. I couldn't even try to hide the fact that I was blushing. I despise being the center of attention."Even though she was a part of the Hermes cabin when she crossed the border, the Athena cabin is the official winner as Samantha was claimed immediately afterwards." At this the rest of my cabin started cheering, even Jordan. I also noticed that the other cabins who were on our team were cheering too.  
All of the sudden Rachel stood up and several campers ran over to the stool on the corner of the amphitheater. She closed her eyes and started to swoon. They eased Rachel onto the stool, and bright emerald green smoke started swirling around her. When she started to talk, her voice was not her own. It was that voice of someone older, ancient and raspy.  
"_Wisdom's daughter will find something of immeasurable price  
With Love's child standing by her side  
Another two will break the curse of ice  
And they'll render the lost to the seeker"_  
When she uttered the last word she collapsed but the campers were there to catch her. Then they moved Rachel over away from the hearth. All of the suddenly the silence was broken and everyone started talking at once. Mostly trying to figure out who the prophecy was for. I was a little shaken up still, so I just silently observed the commotion. Annabeth must have seen my discomfort because she gave me a reassuring smile.  
Finally Chiron stomped his hoof on the ground to get everyone's attention back. "Campers, I know you are all wanting to know who the prophecy was for. If you settle down we will discuss it. Now the prophecy was for Wisdom's daughter."  
"Then obviously it would be Annabeth," someone said from Sarah's cabin. I think her name is Lacy. "She is a daughter of Athena and has a ton of experience with quests."  
"No." Annabeth said firmly. "I don't want yet another quest. Also, I think I know who the prophecy was issued for. The girl we were talking about right before Rachel gave the prophecy, Samantha." Again all eyes turned towards me. There is no way. I can't lead a quest. I'm not a leader. "What do you say, Samantha? Will you accept the quest?"  
I was all too aware of everyone's gaze upon me as I tried to answer. "Um... I... I..." Stupid stutter. It happens every time I speak in front of people. "I accept the quest." I say, even though I am not quite sure of my decision.  
"Samantha, you may according to tradition choose two people to accompany you." Chiron says, seeming to notice my discomfort.  
"Wait!" Annabeth interrupts. "Chiron, the way the prophecy is worded, she needs three companions not two. One of whom must be Aphrodite's child." What she says makes sense. I was already planning to take Sarah with me.  
"What you say makes sense, my child. Very well, Samantha may choose three companions."  
I have already decided one so I look up from the ground and call my best friend to my side. "My first choice is Sarah Brown. She is Love's child." I look around the room to find two more companions. I know very few people here, so this could be complicated.  
"You should pick Jordan. He is a good fighter and never been allowed the opportunity to go on a quest. He really wants to though." Annabeth whispers in my ear. I sigh but give in. "Next I choose Jordan Meriweather." I can tell as he stand up that he is amazed and confused why I picked him. I glance around the room again. I see Leo playing with a bit of fire on his finger. Wait. Fire beats ice. The prophecy says, another two will break the curse of ice.  
"My final choice is Leo Valdez." He also looks surprised as he stands up to join us.  
"Well, you should go to your cabins to pack and get some sleep. You can leave in the morning. Everyone else should probably head back as well."  
I obliged and headed back towards the cabin with Jordan on my tail. When we entered the cabin I realized that I had no idea what I was doing. I don't know why I accepted the quest. I am not a leader. This is just a cruel joke. Heck, I don't even know what to pack. I don't normally like to ask for help, but I don't even know what I am getting myself into.  
"Hey Samantha, do you need something?" Annabeth asks as I head over to the desk where she is working on some blueprints.  
"I kind of need a bit of advice. I have no idea what I am getting myself into. I don't even know what I need to take with me." I admit.  
"Hey don't worry about it. I am sure Jordan will help you pack. He may have never been on a quest but he has helped pack for them before. As for what you are getting into, I don't know. You have to just go with the flow. Always go with you instincts, more often than not they are right. Just don't freak, you will do fine." Annabeth sounds so confident that I can do this. Whatever **_this_** is. I almost try telling her that I am not a leader but I don't think it will work, so I just give in.  
"Thanks." I say as I go to start packing. I am sure that I will need clothes and toiletries, so I go ahead and pack them in my school backpack that I emptied out. I also placed my cell phone and cash in the front pocket. Jordan comes up at that moment and start giving me advice on what to pack.

By the time Jordan and I finish packing the rest of the cabin is already asleep. He is at least acting more civil and not being rude. I fall asleep to a blissful, dreamless slumber.

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**AN: Love it? Hate it? I want to know in A review. **

**"See" you all later,**

**-pinkiepie**


	8. Chapter 16- Samantha

**AN: Sorry for the late update... writers block hit me. But somehow this still managed to be my longest chapter ever. 3,214 words without author's notes. Now for some shoutouts. ****My only two reviews this chapter were:**

**SonofNeptuneJr (Check out his PJO story Icy Winds)**

**Me (I don't know who this is. They were a guest who signed as 'Me' If you have an account review again while logged in and i will read one of your stories.)**

**Listen people, I will make you a deal, if you review my story. I will read and review one of yours. Sound like a fair trade? It is, I swear on the River Styx.**

_**Disclaimer:**_

**Me: Felix, come here for a minute.**

**Felix: Not unless you let me bring my penguins! *Stomps foot loudly***

**Me: Fine, but hurry up about it.**

**Felix:*enters with an entire army of penguins, real and ice sculptures* What do you want?**

**Me: Do the disclaimer!...please.**

**Felix: *Shrugs* Okay, pinkiepie0706 and kurlykrazykat do not own me or anybody at Brooklyn house, or the house itself, of my penguins, or my magic wand, or Sadie's wand, or Shelby crayons, or McDonalds, or Philadelphia, or...**

**Me: I think they get the point Felix! I don't own anything.**

**Felix: You are mean! I wasn't done! *goes to a corner and pouts with his penguins***

**Me: Well then sorry for such a LOOOONG disclaimer, enjoy the story!**

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Samantha's POV

I woke up the next morning to Jordan poking me in the side. I looked over at the clock. It was 6:00 in the morning. "Why in the heck are you waking me up this early?" I shouted at Jordan.  
"Quiet down," he cautioned, "you are going to wake someone up. If you want a shower this morning you need to go ahead, we are meeting the others in a half hour to leave."  
"Fine," I grumble, but pull myself out of bed. Grabbing my stuff I go ahead and get my shower. I put on a camp T-shirt and cuffed jean shorts with my black converse. I slip my long unruly curls into a braid and clasp my necklace. I head to my bunk and sling my backpack over my shoulder. Jordan looks like he is ready to go, so by some unspoken agreement we head out of the cabin with Annabeth stopping us to wish us luck.  
When we make it outside Sarah is waiting on us. "What took you all so long?" She asks. I look over and see that Leo is just now heading over here too.  
"Well... umm..." Jordan stutters. Although it is quite funny I decide so save him.  
"You have no room to talk, Sarah. I can't even begin to count how many times I had to drag you out of bed this year so you wouldn't be late to your classes. And they didn't start until nine thirty, it only 6:30 now. So stop your complaining missy." I said not being able to hold back my smile.  
"Anyways, now that everyone is here we should probably get going." She said, totally ignoring my comment.  
"Yeah, Chiron said to meet him at the Big House and Argus will drive us to the bus station, whoever he is." I say trying to become that leader that is nonexistent in my body.  
"Argus is the camp's head of security, for obvious reasons. He can... keep an eye on things." Leo explains as we walk toward the Big House.

An hour later we are sitting on a bus heading towards Philadelphia. Though putting a handful of hyperactive teenagers on a bus is not a good idea. The boys were complaining within the first hour. This could be a long trip.  
Unfortunately (or fortunately if you consider the fact that the boys were driving Sarah and I up the wall) the bus broke down halfway to Philadelphia, and we were stuck to find another way to get to our destination. We got a slight reimbursement, but not enough to purchase another ticket without adding a little more cash to it.  
"Where do we go from here, Samantha?" Leo asked. We were sitting in front of a gas station, eating a small snack until we could find some food with substance that didn't have a monster behind the counter. (Sadly, it happened thrice already that day.)  
"I have no stinking clue. Why is it my choice?" I replied a bit too harshly.  
"Well you are the quest leader." Sarah said trying to calm me down.  
"Ok, sorry I snapped. I suck at this being in charge thing. Anybody have any ideas on what we could do. I don't even know where we are."  
"I saw a sign on the way in saying that we were in Cherry Hill, New Jersey." Leo piped up.  
I saw a look of recognition cross over Jordan's features. "Do you know this place?" I ask not bring able to stand not knowing things.  
"Yeah, I kinda grew up here." He says rudely. Great! The guy who actually seemed humane is gone, and the one who hates me has returned.  
"Sorry for not knowing your life story." I snap at him. This guy can irritate me so much sometimes.  
"Stop it you two!" Sarah shouts, interrupting us. "You two really have got to get along if we are actually going to succeed on this quest." I want to complain but I know it is useless. So I give in, I just ignore Jordan.  
"Anybody have any ideas? We need to keep moving or something is bound to happen." I say. As if on cue a monster materializes in the gas station. Of course the mortals see nothing new. "Run or fight?" Sarah asks.  
"We have to fight, I don't think we have a chance of outrunning it. Especially once it actually sees us." I answer her, while forming a plan my mind. "Okay we need to surround the entrance."  
"Right, Form a sort of half circle." Jordan pipes in. "Leo you are the furthest left. Sarah, head to the right"  
"I'll take the left side of the front and you take the right." I tell Jordan. Within a couple seconds we are in position. Sarah draws her dagger. Jordan presses one of the beads on his camp necklace, and it becomes a 3 1/2 foot long sword that he lifts with ease. Leo reaches into his ever-present tool belt and pulls out a sledgehammer capped in bronze. Though I don't see how he could have fit it in there. Finally I draw my knife, right as the monster walks out the doors.  
"Well if it isn't a bunch of puny demigods. Prepare to die!" She screeches on the last part. I, having no intentions of dying yet take a stab at her. Though I only manage to leave a small cut. The others were having just as much luck as me trying to kill her. For some reason our weapons wouldn't pierce her skin very well. We fought hard though. Finally after a hard battle we were able to kill her.  
"What was that thing?" Sarah asked Jordan and he just shrugged.  
"I have no clue but we need to do something, it is already dark." He says. I look at the sky and figure out that he is correct.  
"We have enough money for a hotel room, but that would leave not enough money for a way to travel to Philadelphia." I explain.  
"Jordan, you said you lived here. Can we crash at your place tonight?" Sarah says, I can hear a bit of charmspeak in her words.  
"Fine. But we leave first thing in the morning. No one convinces us otherwise. Deal?"  
Everyone nods and we begin the walk to his house. Turns out we were over 2 miles away. As he lived on the other side. But thank the gods we were able to make it there with no more monster attacks. When I saw the house I was amazed at the architecture. It was done in a Victorian style and was very beautiful... "Earth to Sam." I hear my best friend calling my out of my thoughts. "Enough with admiring architecture, we are about ready to go in." I oblige not having any energy to contend with her and we head into Jordan's house.  
"So the good news is, they aren't home. Bad news is, that means we are locked out." Jordan announces.  
"Never fear! The amazing Leo is here." (I bet you can't guess who said that.) So he set to work pulling random tools out of his belt. Within a couple mins we were all inside. Jordan disappeared and came back with a cookbook in hand. "Anybody know how to cook?"

"Leo, where did you put the spoon? I need to stir this or it is going to burn." I holler across the kitchen. I turn around to find him licking it. I smile and let out a small laugh. "Hungry much? I think I will find a new spoon." I grab a spoon an head back to the stove where we are making taco cheese dip. It smells delicious, no wonder Leo wanted to eat it so fast. "You know if you aren't going to find tortilla chips, you could at least make up that lemonade." I tell him as I walk to the pantry to find the chips. I know I just saw them.  
"Yes, ma'am" he says, his words dripping with sarcasm. I can see that he is smiling though.  
Leo and I were elected to make dinner because we were the only ones who had ever really cooked anything before without burning it. Of course I have a feeling that wasn't the only reason. It would be really hard to miss the look in Sarah's eyes. She SO likes that kid and vice versa, but neither one of them wants to admit it.  
"You at least going to go round up the others for dinner?" I ask Leo taking the food off the stove.  
"Whatever you say, beautiful." He says with a smirk and walks out of the room. What the heck just happened there? Why is he calling me beautiful? Ugh!  
I don't have time to think about it anymore because the others come in an we all start eating.  
When we finish we all head to our beds. Sarah and I are sharing Jordan's parents bed, he is sleeping in his own room, and Leo is on the couch. I lay down in bed and immediately sleep overtakes me, but dreams elude it.

In my dream I am in a dark room, with only a small fire at the end. As I draw near to it the fire grows. I look and see that the fire has taken on a human-like figure. It then fades and a man replaces it. This man is not the most handsome. His face is beat up looking, with welts and bruises all over it. He is a burly man, who emanates an aura of power. I feel like I should know this man...  
"What are you staring at, girl?" He says. His voice is quite loud and deep.  
"Who are you?" I ask politely.  
"You don't know me? I'm Hephaestus." Great, so now I have annoyed a god. "I was wanting to tell you that you must find my flaming hammer. It is my object of power, without it I am weak."  
"Who took it?"  
"I can't tell you. But I think you are smart enough to figure it out, girl. You are wisdom's daughter after all."  
I search my brain. The prophecy said a curse of ice. "It's Khione, isn't it?"  
"I can't tell you for sure. But trust your gut. Now goodbye Samantha, take care of my son." And with his last word the dream fades. And I wake up, I know why, Sarah is blaring loud music into my ear. I like music, but really Sarah?  
"What in the heck are you trying to do?" I half shout at her.  
"Wake you up. Which I finally have succeeded at. Come on, we need to get out of here if we are going to try to find another bus." She responds with WAY too much enthusiasm.  
I pull myself out of bed and make my way towards the living room, where Leo is still asleep. Sarah nods at me to tell me to wake him. That resulted in me almost being fried. After I shook him, he woke up with flames dancing across his hand. He almost threw them at me before he realized who I was. Then he just smiled sheepishly and crawled out of his bed, still half asleep.  
I walk into the kitchen, to find Jordan already there, dressed and fully awake. Though he looks like he didn't get much sleep. He shoves a bagel at me and walks out the door. Okay then. I never will understand that kid.

A half hour later we walk out of the house. We make out way to the bus station only being delayed by one monster, which we killed in only a minute or two.  
"Sorry, kid. The only bus headed towards Pennsylvania today just left." The guy at the ticket booth told Sarah.  
"Sir, are you sure you can't schedule another bus for us." She says trying to persuade him using charmspeak.  
"I'm sorry miss. You will have to find another way there or wait until tomorrow. Next!" Sarah walks away looking dejected.  
"Sorry guys, I tried my best."  
"It's not your fault." Jordan comforts her. "You tried your best. We will find another way to Philadelphia."  
"Okay lovebirds," Leo says abruptly. "we need to decide how we are getting there."  
"We could fly." Sarah offered.  
"The money would be an issue then. Plane tickets would take up all of our remaining money. And we have no clue what we need to do when we get there, or if we will have to go further from there." I say try to use the best logic.  
"I agree with Sarah, I believe time is of the essence here. So a plane would be the fastest way. I'm sure that I can figure out the money problem." Jordan says after glaring at me. The other two look to me to get my approval of the plan.  
I sigh, "Okay, as long as you find the money we will do that."

An hour later we are boarding a plane to the Philadelphia International Airport. Finally having found a way to get past the metal detectors. They can apparently detect Celestial Bronze as well as mortal metals. So we secretly slipped them into Leo's tool belt, which was protected my magic so the detectors can't recognize them.  
Soon enough we arrive at our destination. Kind of. I realize that we have no clue where we are going once we get into the city. Jordan and Sarah go into a McDonalds to get some food. While Leo and I are left to figure out where we are going.  
"Ugh!" I say throwing the map down on the table. "As if it is not bad enough that I have no stinking clue where to start, the map is unreadable. I don't even think about it being written in English."  
"Calm down. We will figure this out. Based off of what you saw in your dream I am guessing that we are looking for a dark room with a fire at the end. ( I told them my dream on the plane ride.) Other than that idea, dad's hammer could be anywhere in this city."  
"Okay, so where do we find that? I don't even know why anyone chose me for this quest. I can't be a leader. I have no experience with all this demigodish stuff. And to top it all off, one member of my team won't even try to listen to me."  
"Samantha look at me. You are a natural born leader. And you don't have to have experience. I was assigned my first quest the day I got to camp. Also, I'm sure Jordan is not purposefully trying to ignore you. He just sometimes blocks out the world, as a way of coping with his memories, I think." He says and wraps one arm around my shoulder. "But above all, you have the rest of us here to help you, beautiful."  
He looks like he was wanting to say more when the other two walk out of the restaurant with food in hand. When Sarah sees Leo's arm around me, she looks at me, then Leo, then back at me and giggles. This girl is strange. I hope she realizes that there is nothing going on between us. Even if she wants there to be.  
Leo realizes what she is giggling about and takes his arm off my shoulder. I eat my meal quietly. Thinking about everything to Leo said, occasionally looking to see I he is just as embarrassed as I am. Apparently not. If he is he does a dang good job at hiding it.  
After eating we head to the closest museum that has ancient Grecian artifacts. Leo and I figured that the best place to hide the hammer would be with other ancient relics.  
Needless to say, I was in paradise in that place. Jordan seemed to be too. Until our best friends came and snapped us out of the trance, reminding us that we had a job to do. We searched every inch of that museum, but found nothing. Soon the museum was closing, and we had to leave. We walked out into the moonlit night, with no clue what we are doing. We just started walking around.  
"Where are we going?" Sarah asked, and then she yawned.  
"Umm... I was hoping someone else knew. I have no clue where we are." I say quietly. "We need to find a place to sleep tonight. If we don't have any energy we can't fight off anything."  
"I agree. We can probably sleep there." Leo says pointing to an alley that looks deserted. "I know you probably don't think that it looks very safe, but it is. I have learned that much in all my times running away. Besides people will cower if I pull out my sledgehammer." He has such a goofy grin on his face, and we all laugh.  
We trudge over to the place where he pointed and find the cleanest place possible. We all lean against the brick wall. Leo decides to take the first watch. I lay there a while thinking. Jordan has been acting really weird today. He ignores me and then pretends like nothing happened. It is very confusing. I also can't help but notice the looks of recognition that pass over his face every once in a while. It is strange, he acts as if he knew me before I can to camp. It doesn't make sense though, I almost always remember faces, if not names. I don't remember him. Maybe I should just address the issue instead of pondering it for so long. I turn on my other side and see Jordan, wide awake. He seems to be deep in thought, but notices when my attention turns towards him.  
"Samantha, do you know what your last name was before you were adopted?"  
"No, I was only a month old and I was told that I was abandoned right after I was born." I never will understand how a parent can just give their kid up. It doesn't make any sense. "Why do you ask?"  
"I was just curious." Jordan replies sharply. It seems that for every step u seem to make forward he moves two steps back. Will I ever figure out this kid?  
"What is you problem?" I probe in the nicest way possible. "Have I done something to annoy you?"  
"No, why do you ask?"  
"You are always so elusive. And you act like you know me." There I said it. The deed is done.  
"Whatever Samantha, just leave me alone an go to sleep." Jordan says and turns his back to me. Oh well.  
Right at that moment Leo comes over and tells me it is my turn to keep watch. Well, looks like I am not getting a ton of sleep tonight. I look over and see all three of the others are fast asleep. I get remotely comfortable and get ready for a long haul.


	9. Chapter 18- Jordan

**AN: I am finally back. Sorry I took so long to update. I have been really busy. So to make up for it I am giving you my longest chapter ever. It is over 4,200 words long, without authors notes. Thankd for sticking with this story. **

**Disclaimer:**

**Is this thing really necessary? If I was an author, known as Rick Riordan, why would I be on FANfiction. **

* * *

_Jordan's POV (you didn't expect that one from me, did you?)_

By the time we stopped for the night, I was exhausted. I was more than willing to lay against a wall to sleep. After my talk with Samantha I fell asleep rather quickly. I just had to dream though (Note the sarcasm there). The dream was different than my normal dreams, demigod or ba. It was more of a memory that I didn't know I had.

I was in a house. It was one with gorgeous architecture. High domed ceilings, wide archways, and ornate woodworking. Anyways, I saw a boy about two years old, and a man who looked to be his father. He was wiping the child's tears. I take a closer look at them and realize that the boy is me. He has the same hair and eyes. I have seen a couple pictures from my early life. Right after I was adopted. Thinking back to those pictures, I know without a shadow of a doubt that it is me.  
"Shh... It is okay little guy. There are no monsters that could hurt you. They would have to get past me first." The man says, looking him in the eye.  
"Okay, daddy. Pwomise you will always make the mowster go away." I (little boy) say while wiping the tears away from my eyes.  
"I promise, Jordan." He says right as the doorbell rings. He opens the door and I see none other than my mother standing there, with a baby in her arms.  
"Take care of her, Hektor." Athena says softly and the ducks around the corner of the house. I know by the bright light that comes from that direction, she has left.  
"Wait, what is her name?" He calls after her, but then realizes that she is gone. He reaches down and picks up a letter from the ground. He reads it quickly, then turn to me (the little boy).  
"Jordan, I want you to meet you new little sister. Her name is Samantha, Samantha Nichole." I look down and see the exact same necklace that Samantha has been wearing. The one she said that she got from the birth parents.

Suddenly I am being jerked awake. Still in shock. What the heck was that dream about? Surely it isn't true. Even if it is, surely it isn't the same Samantha that I am on a quest with. Right?  
I don't have much time to think.  
"Leo. Why in the name of Zeus would you be waking us up? I know you don't sleep but that doesn't mean we CAN'T!" I snap at him. He looks I can see the fire dancing across his palms before he extinguishes it. Oh, crap. Why do I alway let my temper get the best of me. It is not a very good trait. I am going to lose a friend because of it one of these days. I think about apologizing when the girls jump in front I us.  
"Stop fighting, both of you." Sarah says, and immediately I don't even know why I was fighting with Leo. He is my best guy friend. I stare at Sarah. How did she make us stop so suddenly? Sarah must notice that all three of us are staring at her because she just shrugs, "What?"  
"Sarah," I begin kindly, "What just happened?"  
"She used charmspeak," Leo says, providing the answer to my question.  
She looked at Leo, "How'd you know?"  
He smiles and reply, "Piper uses it all the time to get me to do stupid things."  
"Like you don't do that enough," I say sarcastically , and Samantha snorts  
All of us look at her and her face turns red as she lowers her head. Sarah lifts her chin up and looks at her, "I know you want to say something, 'cause I know the look on your face. If you have a question ask it now."  
Samantha pushes some hair behind her ear and asks, "So, what did you need us over here for Leo?"  
I can tell by the look on my friend's face that he got distracted and forgot to give the real reason why he woke us up.  
"Oh yeah, look at the graffiti." He says.  
"What about it?" Samantha asks, leaning over to inspect it, "I can read it...Wait a second, I can read it?"  
"Exactly," Leo says, "We all have dyslexia, and we all can read it. So It must be in Greek."  
"Well Leo," Sarah pipes up, "Since you found it, why don't you do the honors of reading it?"  
"Gladly," he steps closer and reads it.  
"Για να έρθει μέσα  
Θα πρέπει να πληρώσει ένα τίμημα  
Κάτι περισσότερο  
Ομορφιά από πάγο  
Τα διόδια που πληρώνουν  
θα είναι δύσκολο  
αλλά αν πετύχει  
θα υπάρξει μια ανταμοιβή"  
I sit silent for a minute translating and pondering this in my head, when Sarah speaks up again. "Okay, so, The riddle is, To come inside  
You must pay a price  
Something of more  
Beauty than ice  
The toll you pay  
Will be hard  
But if you succeed  
There will be a reward.  
So this is obviously Khione's castle, palace, dump, sorta place, but what does it mean? Samantha, Jordan, this is your department, the smart people can figure this out. Chop, chop" I chuckle quietly at her antics while rolling my eyes.  
Then I turn to Samantha, "What do you think this means?"  
"I have no clue," she says honestly. "I know that we have to leave something to gain entrance. But what we can leave the would be of more beauty than ice, I have no clue."  
"Well, the opposite of ice is fire." I offer. "We have that."  
"No, fire destroys ice. That wouldn't work very well." She counters.  
"What is it then! This clue is very vague."  
"I don't know let me think!" She snaps back. I notice that she starts fiddling with her charm on her necklace. A habit I've noticed before. My mind wander to my dream. Was is possible that she was my full-blooded sister. It's not very normal, but possible, for a god to be with the same mortal more than once.  
"Samantha, what is your middle name?" I ask hoping that will determine if my dream is true. I sure seemed true. But if that was my father, why did he give me up. He seemed very kind in the dream.  
"Nichole," she says coldly. I gasp slightly, but she doesn't seem to notice. "now can you think about the riddle instead of trying to determine my life story."  
I mutter a reply in the affirmative, and try to refocus my thoughts. Besides, I need to make sure that I am right before I mention it to her.  
I look down and see a small opening with more Greek graffiti above it. I get down even further, ignoring the glare from Samantha, to read it.  
It says:  
μια προσωπική θησαυρό να παραδοθούν εδώ  
(A personal treasure to surrender here)  
δεν είναι από ασήμι, χρυσό ή χαλκό  
(Not of silver, gold, or copper)  
αλλά μια πέτρα σε μια χορδή πρέπει να είναι επαρκής  
(But a stone on a chord shall be sufficient).  
"Hey Samantha, look at this." I say pointing to the words. She read them and I saw her translating the words. When she was done she looked at me. "Should we wake the others, and tell them?" She asks me.  
"Not yet. First we need to figure out exactly what it wants." I say. Samantha is reaching her fingers into the hole trying to see if there is anything in there. She pulls out a little tray with an indent in it. When she looked at the hole she gasped.  
"What?"  
"The hole. It is is exactly the same size and shape as the hole on my necklace. I think that is the price I have to pay. I don't know though."  
I read the words again. The last line jumped out at me 'a stone on a chord shall be sufficient'. Samantha is right, but I don't want to lose that necklace. For one, if Khione wants that necklace it has to have power or importance, or both. Secondly, it is the one thing that I have that can prove my theory to Samantha. I am not quite sure what happened but I think that she never knew me (she was too young), but I think I knew her. The memories are just barely out of my reach.  
"Samantha, I think you are right. The necklace is what she wants. I'm not sure we should hand it over."  
"We have to, Jordan. There is no other way to gain entrance. What argument do you have against it? You aren't the one giving up something you cherish. The thing that has so many memories behind it." Her voice is cracking, but there is a fierce determination in her eyes. I really should tell her about my dream. But it almost seems too personal.  
"Ok, fine. If you want to we can try it. There is no way of telling if you will ever get it back though." I say trying to calm her down.  
"I don't care. We can't stop here. I...I...I have to prove myself as a leader."  
I am at a loss for words. I have never seen an Athena kid afraid to be a leader. I think she needs to prove this to herself, not just everyone else. I almost feel bad for her. I remember when I first arrived at camp and was claimed immediately. I tried to prove to everyone, even me, that I could be just as good as all my half siblings. Even if I was nine at the time, I wanted to be just as good or better than the 15 and 16 year olds in my cabin.  
"Samantha, I need to tell you something." I start. "I had a dream earlier..." I am cut short by Sarah, stepping over to stand by us.  
"What have you figured out?" She asks Samantha.  
"I think I have to use my necklace as a key." She says softly.  
"Hey there don't look so down. I know that you cherish it. But if you are meant to keep it, the Fates will make sure you do." Sarah assures her. Samantha smiles up at her. Sarah has alway been able to do that. She know exactly what to say to cheer people up, or make her point. It must have something to do with her mom. I can remember a few times when she did it to me. I always thought it was just powerful wording. But now I know that her voice is what is powerful. Anyways, sorry I got distracted. Stupid ADHD mind!  
When I finally snap out of my train of thought Samantha is crouched down to the hole. She slides out the tray and removes the necklace from her neck. Gazing at it longingly, she places the necklace in the slot. As soon as it locked into place a section of the wall (with all the graffiti on it) raised up. I couldn't see anything inside because it was pitch black. I looked at it hesitantly.  
"Well, looks like we are headed in." Samantha announces. She starts gathering up the few things she shad out and putting them in her backpack. She refuses to look anyone in the eye quite yet.  
"Come on, Jordan. We should get our stuff gathered up as well." Sarah say quietly. I head over to my bag and slide my rolled-up jacket back into it. That is all I had out last night, so I look around to see if the girls need help. Sarah is sliding the last item in her bag and Samantha is finishing gathering Leo's tools and spare parts into a pile. She then wakes him up.  
"Hey! I actually slept!" Leo say loudly, I know that he has problems getting to sleep. But seriously Leo!?  
"Like a baby," Sarah looks like she is going to stop there. But then she get a mischievous look in her eyes, one I know from experience mean that she is going to try to embarrass someone. "Samantha decided to pack up you stuff for you."  
I see Samantha blush and then give Sarah a death glare. You can tell that Sarah is used to getting those, because she doesn't even flinch (she barely flinches even at Annabeth's any more). She just smiles contently.  
"Thanks" Leo says, and then shoves all the stuff in his tool belt. "C'mon people! What are you waiting for?"  
"YOU!" I shout, as well as Sarah and Samantha.  
"Ok, so here is the plan," Leo says, "go in, kick monster butt, kick that stinking ice princess's butt, and leave."  
I roll my eyes. "Thank you for that wonderful advice Leo."  
"You have a better plan?"  
"I do," Samantha steps into our discussion. "We do need to go in, but under no circumstances, does anyone go somewhere completely alone. Also we have to figure out a way to light our path. I have a cell phone, but I don't know how long the battery will last and it is not very bright either."  
"You have a cell phone?" Leo asks, flabbergasted.  
"Yeah, is there a problem with that."  
"No, I just thought the demigods and technology don't mix. We probably shouldn't use the cell phone, because even if we aren't making calls, it still could lead the monsters right to us."  
"Good thinking, Leo. You are improving in your logic skill after all this time," I say. " AS for the light issue, I have a flashlight in my backpack. We can use that until the battery dies. Then we will have to figure out something else. But we can worry about that when the time comes."  
"Ok, let's head in then." Samantha says, I think at this point she is itching to make it inside.  
We all concede and walk into the dark room. As soon as we are all inside the door closes behind us, blocking any light we had. I feel around in my backpack and find my flashlight. I pull it out and turn it on. Shining the beam around the entire area, I analyze our surroundings. We seem to be in an entry way to like a house. Everything in here is made of ice, even the doors.  
"Is the fact that everything is made of ice a good thing or a bad thing?" Samantha asks, voicing my thoughts.  
" It might actually work to my advantage," Leo says, proudly. "We don't have to worry about that lock Sarah." I look over and see Sarah trying to pick the lock on the door with a hairpin. Something she learned in the Hermes cabin, no doubt. "I can hopefully just melt the door." Leo flatens his palm and a fire springs to life. It runs across his hands, and dances on his fingertips. I see Samantha, at first she looks shocked, but that expression soon changes to disbelief, mistrust, and worry. I can tell that Leo has seen her expressions too, because instead of showing off further he set to work. Bringing the flames together, he starts at the center and presses his hand against the ice door.  
Immediately, his fire is snuffed out, and be quickly pulls back his hand. He creates another fireball and brings his hand close to the door, this time, only the flames are touching the door. Not his hands. The door melts quickly and soon enough there is a hole in the ice door large enough for us to go through. I step through first followed by Sarah. Samantha heads through, but her shoulder touches the ice, and she hisses in pain. Finally Leo comes through.  
"You okay, Samantha? I should have warned you guys not to touch the ice," He says gently . Wait a minute, this guy is acting toally different from my best friend.  
"Yeah, I'll be fine. How could you warn us though if it didn't happen to you?"  
"It did, when I pressed the fire against the door." Leo opens his palm out flat and I take a look at it. His entire palm is cover in white blister burns, he tried to hide it but I saw him wince as Samantha reached out to touch it.  
"Is that what my shoulder looks like?" she asks Sarah. Sarah pulls the burned fabric away from her body and looks.  
"Almost. Yours hasn't blistered yet, but it is ready to. Your shirt is ruined."  
"Oh well, I can change when we stop for the night and the boys are asleep. For now we need to keep going. The good news is that this room is brighter than the last. Bad news is, we have to figure out which door to go through. We have three different options. Anybody want to make a guess?" Nobody volunteered. "Okay then. Leo do you think you can burn a hole in each of the doors. Just a small one so we can make a guess at where we are going." Samantha asks Leo politely. He gets a flirtatious twinkle in his eyes. "Of course, milady," he says while bowing. Samantha giggles, and he sets to work on the doors.  
The girls sit down and start talking, and once again I am left to my own devices. I look over at the girls. I can see Sarah's face from this angle. She looks absolutely beautiful. Aphrodite's blessing is almost completely gone now, and you can see the effects of the past few days. Even so, she still looks perfect. Her pale blonde hair is being braided by Samantha. Her baby blue eyes sparkle, and her face lights up as she speaks.  
Confession time. I have a HUGE crush on Sarah. I have since I was 11, and I'm 15 now. That is FOUR STINKING YEARS! I have been trying to work up the courage to ask her out since she came back to camp. This was the first year she went to school, instead of staying year-round at camp. I realized how much I took our time together for granted. I don't know if she feels the same way about me though. If I ask her out and she doesn't like me like that then our friendship will never be the same. Besides, no one wants to have love thrown back into their faces.  
I sit down on the floor (if you can call it that) and pull out a lump of wax from my magic kit. I absentmindedly start forming it into a shabti. Sarah looks up and notices what I am doing. She sends me a look telling me not to let the others see exactly what I am doing. I give her a quick nod and go beck to my work. I often create shabtis when I am bored. I look down at my figure. I have shaped it to look like Sarah. Normally I don't ever make very life-like representations of people. So I carve the hieroglyphs for her name into the base of the statue. I look to make sure no one is watching me and whisper the spell for harden. Sarah glares at me and I slide the shabti back into my backpack.  
"Jordan, come here for a minute," Leo calls to me. I walk over and I notice that there are already small holes in two out of the three doors and is working on the last one. "I have a question for you."  
"I kinda figured" I say chuckling at his blunt manner.  
"How do Sarah and Samantha get along so well? They don't seem anything alike, how did they even start communicating with each other." He asks, while staring at the girls.  
"They got in the same dorm at their school this past year. Sarah said that being the only two in the class with dyslexia and ADHD, they quickly became friends. She said that she thought that Samantha was a demigod when she met her. Then when the monster attacks started becoming more frequent and they were attacking Samantha first, she became positive of it and brought her to camp. That is about all I know. Sarah and I have only got to sit down and talk once since she made it back to camp. Why do you want to know anyways?"  
"I was just wondering. Now why don't you holler over and tell them that they can come check things out."  
I look over and see a glowing message written in what is most likely Greek through one of the holes. "Leo, I think I figured out which path we need to go down." I say and them turn to face the girls. "Girls, I found a lead!"  
"About time, Jordan!" Sarah says rolling her eyes.  
"Says the girl who has not done almost anything tonight." Samantha replies dryly, then turns to me. "What did you find?"  
"I found a message inside that door." I say pointing to said door.  
"Well, what does it say?" Sarah pipes back in.  
"I haven't figured that part out yet. Sarah, why don't you check one of the other doors for any messages, and Leo can check the other." Before I have even finished speaking Samantha is staring through the door, trying to decipher the message. She throws her hands up in frustration.  
"This is not in English or Greek! How in the heck and I supposed to even start to decipher the message." I motion for her to step aside and take a look at it closer. That's why she can't read it! It is in demotic. You know the least known about language on the Rosetta Stone. I mean, most mortals only care about the hieroglyphs. I explain my findings to Samantha, and then start working on deciphering and translating it.  
"I wonder why it is written in an Egyptian language," She wonders aloud. I am almost tempted to tell her about Egyptian stuff, but I am saved from doing such a stupid thing when Leo and Sarah walk back over.  
"I found more writing!" They say simultaneously.  
"Ok, Leo, you first."  
"I found a riddle in Greek." Greek? I was thinking that they would all be in demotic.  
"Mine was written in hieroglyphics." Sarah adds. "What language was you guys' message written in? And did you decode it?"  
"Jordan was working on it when you walked over. It was written in a language I didn't recognize. He said it was demotic,the street language of Ancient Egypt." Samantha says, and  
Sarah catches my eye. She looks worried. "Jordan, can I talk you for a minute." She motions for me to come over to the far side of the room.  
When I get over there she is fidgeting with a piece of her hair. Something that she only does when she is nervous.  
"What's up? You are nervous about something." I question her.  
"How..." She pauses. "How did you know that I was nervous about something? Never mind that, you are right though. I think we might be facing a joint threat. Greek and Egyptian."  
I think about it for a minute. "I don't know, Sarah. We already know that Khione is the one we are facing. Besides, the prophecy says ice. There is no Egyptian god of ice, even if Felix seems to think so."  
"Fine," she replies and I can tell she is really annoyed by my answer. She glares at me and walks back to the others. I sigh and follow her. We are almost over there when she suddenly stops. "Look like they have started translating without us."  
"Yeah." I say. "We will leave them to translate the Greek. You can translate the hieroglyphs, and I will work on the demotic."  
"Fine by me. I will come help you when I am done. I know demotic is the hardest language here to translate." She says.  
I smile at her, and she just giggles and walks to the door. I peek through mine. This is going to be a pain in the booty.

-  
A while later all the messages are translated completely. Except mine. This is such a hard language to translate. Even if it is an Egyptian language, I still had to work hard to learn it. And trying to translate it is ten times harder. Sarah is sitting beside me trying to help, but she knows less demotic than I.  
"Done!" I shout jumping up. Sarah and Leo roll their eyes, Samantha just looks at me expectantly. Waiting to hear what it said I guess. "Ok, so this one says:  
_When you pass thought this door, there is no turning back.  
Try as you may, no way to escape.  
But if you succeed at the hard task ahead  
The reward you seek may lay just beyond reach_."  
All the other doors just had the first half of the riddle, clue , whatever you want to call it.  
"Looks like we are heading in the middle door." Samantha says loudly, and the door opens of its own accord. We all grab out bags and file in.

* * *

**Now let's see how creative you guys are. sen in drawinga of Sarah and Samantha. And I will R&R one of yout stories. Have Fun!**


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